Advanced Automation Modernizes Automotive Coil Processing Lines

Application Area: Press Feeding Automation and Coil Processing Systems
Industry Sector: Automotive Tier-One Component Manufacturing

Automotive component production requires high operational flexibility, tight mechanical tolerances, and reliable processing of modern, high-strength metals. When a major Canadian tier-one automotive supplier sought to replace aging production equipment across multiple manufacturing sites, including a facility in Mexico, it needed modern coil-processing systems capable of meeting digital factory standards. The legacy lines lacked the operational agility and digital connectivity demanded by automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and retrofitting control hardware alone would represent 40 to 50 percent of the cost of entirely new equipment.

Automated Feed Synchronization and Motion Control
To replace obsolete machinery across two client facilities, Turkish machinery manufacturer Coiltech supplied two new coil processing lines equipped with compact feeders and oscillating shears. The mechanical equipment relies on an integrated automation and motion control architecture to maintain feed speed accuracy and precise feed length regulation during continuous stamping and forming cycles.

The motion systems utilize Allen-Bradley CompactLogix programmable automation controllers paired with Allen-Bradley Kinetix servo drives and MMA servo motors. Distributed sensor and actuator signals are integrated via Allen-Bradley POINT I/O modules, establishing high-speed communication between the drive train, feed rollers, and cutting shears. Rockwell Global OEM Technical Consultants (GOTC) and regional engineering teams collaborated with Coiltech to calibrate the motion control loops and validate fieldbus communication.

Digital Integration and Operational Flexibility
The open digital architecture directly streams production metrics into the automotive supplier's enterprise digital thread, enabling remote technical monitoring and automated maintenance diagnostics.

“The result is a solution that requires less engineering effort when product parameters change and enables operators to respond more quickly to evolving production requirements. For manufacturers facing increasing product variation and growing demands for flexibility, this can be just as valuable as machine performance itself,” stated Volga Gürsel, Foreign Trade Manager at Coiltech.

Eliminating Legacy Bottlenecks in Press Operations
The integrated mechanical and automation platform enabled the automotive supplier to modify batch parameters with minimal engineering intervention, significantly accelerating changeover cycles. The robust mechanical design and synchronized servo drive actuation allow the customer to process tougher, advanced sheet materials without line jamming or dimensional variance. Supported by regional technical infrastructure in North America, the modernization delivered higher feed precision, lowered spare-part vulnerability, and provided a standardized control foundation ready for future plant-wide digitalization.

Edited by Romila DSilva, Induportals Editor, with AI assistance.